Beowulf
by DragonSiren7
Summary: "Shall I be your hero, little lord?" When Ciel is captured by the cult, he meets another boy with messy raven hair and glowing emerald eyes. The boy - "Beo Wulf" - becomes his "Hero," and joins Sebastian and Ciel on their quest for revenge. But who is Beo Wulf, really, and what plans does he have for Ciel's fate? Master of Death!Harry
1. Prologue

**_Beowulf - Prologue_**

* * *

**AN:** Helllloooo, all! This is my first Black Butler/ Kuroshitsuji fanfic, and to be perfectly honest, I'm not sure how comfortable I am with the actual series, being a devoted Christian. If you've got a problem with that, shut up. I don't want to hear it. Aaanyywaayyy, as such, this story will probably be a bit more kid safe than the actual show, but of course Sebastian will still be a demon, etc., etc. but I might throw in a good angel or two as OCs that don't really do much - like Ronald Knox. Other than that, not much will change... except for everyone concerning Harry Potter... So yeah, the expected stuff. Anyways, I hope you all enjoy this!

Also, be warned - Harry is Master of Death, so he is pretty much ultimate - but he doesn't tend to act it. Also, Ciel is occasionally OOC around Harry. Oh, and Harry isn't Harry. Any questions?

* * *

Ciel first met Beo L. Wulf in captivity.

He was 10, and had just witnessed his home and parents burn to nothing. They tossed him in a cage, empty save for one other - an eleven year old boy with messy raven hair and eyes so green they put emeralds to shame.

"Welcome to hell on earth, kid. I go by Wulf, Beo Wulf," said the older boy, sticking out a hand grimy with blood.

"Like in the story?" hesitantly asked the still somewhat innocent child.

"Yeah," grinned the other boy, his smirk morphing into an honest grin. "Like the hero. Shall I be your hero, little lord, young Ciel?" The blue-black haired boy flung himself at the raven wrapping his arms around the older and sobbing into his chest.

When they came for them, to brand them and burn them, it was Beo who fought the hardest, Beo who knocked at least nine of the men unconscious before they had managed to get a brand on the boy... directly over his right eye. Yet when they turned to Ciel, to mark him as their slave, they were relentlessly pushed back time and time again by Beo - by the strange, golden light the boy summoned and flung at the kidnappers, knocking them off their feet, sending them flying through walls, snapping necks and breaking skulls.

Eventually they gave up, intent on coming back when Beo had been moved elsewhere. Yet as soon as the men had left the cage, the older raven turned to Ciel, who was staring at the carnage with wide eyes as he trembled.

"Heroes are killers, little lord. Remember that." The blue haired child nodded slowly before tentatively moving towards the emerald eyed "hero" and clinging to the older boy.

Weeks passed, and each time the kidnappers came back, Beo would send them flying. Ciel watched, and he learned. He learned that the kidnappers did not know Beo's name - unlike Ciel, he was just a convenience kidnapping. The cult took to calling the raven "Hero," based off of snippets of conversation they overheard. The young Earl learned that the boy called the golden blasts and whips were created by "magic," and that the golden light in general was his "aura." Ciel learned to call on his aura, too. It was as silver as the moonlight, and for some reason, Beo had started laughing hysterically when he saw it, repeating, "Oh joy, another prophecy! Gold and Silver auras, huh? He-He-He...!"

Ciel feared for Beo's sanity, sometimes.

A month later, the kidnappers decided to try a new tactic. They came, taunting the duo about their plan to split them up, to sell Beo as a slave and use the young Earl to summon a demon.

The blue-green eyed teen scoffed at them, but as soon as they left, he began shaking, automatically turning to Beo for comfort.

"They will not hurt you, young Ciel. In order for me to protect you, I must mark you. Not as they marked me, but a mark nonetheless. Do you accept?"

Eyes of sky and forest met before the young Earl nodded, allowing his Hero to hold him close. "Give me your left hand, little lord." The pale hand of the young earl seemed so frail and small against the other's, which gave a small squeeze before covering the top of the younger's hand. "Do you, Ciel Phantomhive, accept me as your Hero?"

"I do," whispered the young boy hesitantly, encouraged by Beo's small grin.

"Do you, Ciel Phantomhive, accept me as your guide through both darkness and light?"

"I do," he said again, stronger this time.

"Do you, Ciel Phantomhive, accept me as the guardian of your soul, mind, and body?"

"I do."

The blue-eyed boy glanced down at the black of his pale hand, and saw a mark glowing gold - it was a circle inside of a triangle, with a straight line splitting both shapes in half.

"Then let it be known that I, the Master of Death, am Ciel Phantomhive's Hero, from this day forward."

The guards returned, yelling and scrambling as the building shook.

"Close your eyes, Ciel, and count to ten..."

When Ciel opened his eyes again, the little lord saw his hero being dragged away, weighed down by heaps of rusty iron chains, and a crazed grin on his face.

"Don't worry, little lord!" he cried out, his voice harsh and teetering on the edge of insanity. "You're mine, Ciel Phantomhive! You are mine, and I am yours! No one will ever hurt you again!" Those words echoed through the cavern, filled with cages of desperate children. Yet the young Earl Phantomhive barely heard his hero's - his friend's - cries. Instead, he focused on the blazing emerald eyes, the pain glinting in their depths and reflecting in the Cheshire Cat smile, and the barbs cutting into the skin of Beo from the chains that had been wrapped about him, and he knew hate.

When the cult members returned sneering and laughing, Ciel decided then and there, that he would get his revenge. For his parents, himself, and his hero.

After all, every hero needs an anti-hero and a villain, do they not?

* * *

**AN:** Sorry about the short chapter! Next one we meet Bassy! I need three reviews to update!


	2. Chapter 1

**AN**: Hoooolllllyyyyy craaaaapppp. Wow. Just... wow. The response to this story has been amazing. Thank you so much, everyone! I asked for three reviews, and I got 11!

Paxloria (Thanks for finding the typo!)

Ryuujin Shinkami Ashura

Person345 (I'm glad you liked how I introduced Harry! I don't want him to be TOO strong right off the bat!)

Opinr

BloodyGrim

CosmosQueen (Great job catching the Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel reference!)

Guest

merit7

ShikiRiian (Great job catching the Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel reference!)

kat1316

foxchick1

Also, this is my first fanfic that has been accepted into a community - never-mind four of them!

Harry Potter as Master of Death

Master of Death Harry

Random Stuuff That I Like

Anything that I want to read

THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH to everyone who reviewed, favorited, followed, and communitied (yes, I went there)!

* * *

**DISCLAIMER: **I do not own Harry Potter or Kuroshitsuji. Woe is me.

* * *

**_CHAPTER ONE - THE SUMMONING_**

* * *

Ciel was dying.

He knew it ever since they had first branded him with their burning iron, and the wound had turned yellow and ghastly. It got worse, and worse, and he still never felt a thing.

He had lost the ability to feel pain, ever since he had that brand burned on the back of his hand with golden light.

The infection had gotten to the point that he would die regardless of medical attention or not. Seeing that he was becoming a burden, the cult had decided to sacrifice him next.

And somehow, it had all led to here, with him floating in the air, wrapped in a blood red cloth. The world was white, but he could glimpse black feathers out of the corner of his eye._ 'A demon,_' he realized. Those blubbering cult fools had been closer than they ever realized.

...

...

It wasn't fair! The hatred in his heart renewed, burning white hot. These people had taken his family, his home, his dog, his innocence, his joy, his _Hero_, and now his life. Yet, in the end, they got what they had wanted...? That... was... **_unacceptable!_**

Suddenly, a deep, silky voice echoed around him. "Think carefully. Should you reject the faith even this once, the gates of paradise will forever be out of your reach."

Ciel scoffed. "Do you think one who was among those faithful would ever go so far as to summon someone like you?" Even though he hadn't exactly done it willingly...

"I'll ask but once more. Do you wish to form a contract with me?" Inside, Ciel was terrified. At this point what else did he have besides his soul? He would rather die now than condemn his soul forever, but what if...?

* * *

_***flashback***_

* * *

_"Do you, Ciel Phantomhive, accept me as the guardian of your soul, mind, and body?"_

_"I do."_

_"You are mine!"_

* * *

_***end flashback***_

* * *

As he remembered the oath, the back of Ciel's hand burned in the by now familiar pattern of the brand. It was then that he knew, contract or not, that his soul was safe in the hands of his Hero.

"I do! Now, stop asking these tedious questions and let me know if we have a deal!"

The world returned in a blaze of color and sound, the noises and sights pressing in on the young boy.

"What would you have me do, Young Master?" The demon asked, kneeling down and placing a hand over his heart. The words leapt to his tongue - 'Kill them all!' He wanted to scream it, make everyone suffer as he did.

'Shall I be your hero, little lord?' Beo's voice drifted through his mind - his wry, roguish smile and sparkling emerald eyes. Beo was his Hero, and now he, Earl Ciel Phantomhive, would be these children's Hero. He _could_ _not_ let Beo down.

"Kill all the cult members, but spare the children and other captives. Oh, and call Scotland Yard. Tell them that the Queen's Guard Dog has returned. If you hear or find any mention of a boy called Beo Wulf or Hero, report to me immediately on your findings. If you find him, bring him to me alive and unharmed. Those are your orders."

"Very well, Young Master." Ciel did not feel anything as he watched the cult members be ripped apart. This was necessary - and satisfying. Heroes are killers, after all.

The demon returned, his hands empty and covered in blood. "Forgive me, Young Master, I did not find any mention of the one you asked me to search for."

The navy haired boy "tsked" and waved his hand dismissively. "It is of no matter. He will be fine until we find him."

"Very well then, little lord-" He was cut off by a sudden hiss from Ciel.

"This is an order. Never call me that unless I say you can." The demon's eyebrows rose in surprise before his face resumed his indifferent expression.

"Of course, Young Master. My apologies. Onto the specifics of our contract... I must mark you, and you must give me a name."

"Very well... your name shall be... Sebastian Michaelis," replied Ciel, his brows furrowing for a second in thought.

"Was that the name of your previous butler?" questioned Sebastian, and Ciel smirked while shaking his head.

"No. Sebastian was the name of my dog." The demon's eyes went wide with shock for a split second before a scowl of disgust flashed across his face almost too quickly to be seen.

"And Michaelis?"

"A... friend... of mine once said that Michaelis was a strong name, with much potential, so I gave it to you. Not to mention, I find the irony humorous." Sebastian's eyes widened at the first sentence, but changed to a brief, narrowed gaze before his faced returned to its impassive expression.

"Excellent, Young Master. Where would you have me mark you?" replied Sebastian monotonously.

"Where would it be strongest?" retorted Ciel, his gaze determined. He knew it was dangerous, to do this - no doubt it would make saving his soul much harder for Beo (if he could even do it in the first place...), but the benefits outweighed the costs. What was a soul, anyway? Your life essence? He never expected to live on after death, why should that change now?

Meanwhile, Sebastian's eyes had widened briefly at the question. Very few of his masters had ever asked him that, and none had ever followed through. "The contract seal is most powerful where it is most visible. In your case, that would be your eye - your right one is the eye that it would be most powerful in."

Ciel felt nervousness stir inside of him when he heard that. He would undoubtedly have to keep his eye covered up, which meant that he would be losing half of his vision. Also, how much would that hurt? His mind flashed back to the day that Beo had been branded, too, right over _his _right eye...

* * *

_***flashback***_

* * *

_Beo sat down, leaning against the cage wall, breathing deeply and heavily. "Whoo! I've been getting lazy - I haven't used my magic that much in ages! Unbelievable!" Even as the older boy ranted, however, Ciel could only stare at the brand that covered Beo's right eye and part of his face in shock. _

_"Does... Does that not hurt?" whispered Ciel, his eyes wide. Beo stilled, a confused look flashing across his face for a moment before his eyes widened in realization and he poked at the brand on jus face. _

_"Oh, I completely forgot about that! It doesn't hurt too much, though." A couple of the children in the others cages snorted in disbelief - especially the ones that had already been marked. _

_"But..." Ciel began, his eyes wide. Even if they somehow escaped, life for Beo would be hard with that mark on his face, branding him for everyone to see. Beo just shrugged. _

_"I don't mind it, honestly. Though, I do mind what it **symbolizes**," Beo's eyes grew dark as he snarled this before he physically shook himself and became cheery once more. "Maybe I'll just scrape it off with a knife so that the skin can grow back, and then I'll put my own mark there, if there is still a scar left. In fact..." as he spoke, Beo crawled to the edge of their cage and reached out to the nearest body, grabbing the edge of the bloody shirt and dragging the dead man closer. Finding what he was looking for, Beo cackled and pulled out a wickedly sharp silver knife. _

_"There!" the boy gave the knife to Ciel, and pointed to his eye. "Make it pretty for me, Ciel," he said his voice serious. The young Earl shook his head furiously, eyes wide. "It won't hurt me Ciel, I promise. If you don't, I'll just skin it off, or make changes myself, since I don't want to risk infection." _

_Ciel continued to stare wide eyed at Beo before his hand shakily made its way to his here's face and made several curving lines, so that the previously made brands reached from edge to edge on the circle. He then scratched several lines on the outside of the circle, turning it into a sun with lines running through it. _

_"Th-There," stuttered Ciel, dropping the knife with a clatter. Beo looked at him with a strange look in his eyes - one that the Young Earl couldn't identify. _

_"Come here, Ciel," murmured Beo, reaching out his hand towards the young boy. The navy haired child immediately flung himself at his hero, sobbing quietly. "It's fine, little lord. I'm fine, little brother." Ciel gasped quietly, his sapphire eyes wide as he gazed up at emerald. The older boy didn't say anything, just traced the cuts on his face while smiling with his eyes closed, and humming an unrecognizable tune under his breath. _

* * *

_******end really long slightly pointless flashback*******_

* * *

Sebastian watched with slight worry as his new master spaced out, completely unaware of the world. He had similar masters in the past, and half of them had committed suicide, rendering the contract void, and cheating him out of a meal. Not only that, but it wouldn't be interesting with such a master...

Red eyes watched as the eleven year old boy came back to himself, shaking his head slightly. "Very well. What are you waiting for?" Sebastian's eyes widened.

"This will hurt." The boy did not reply, and did not even make a sound as Senastian branded the contract into the boy's eye. Unbeknownst to both the Earl and his new butler, but another brand was glowing - the one on Ciel's hand. It was calling out, alerting its true master of what had happened, and the pain that Ciel was in. Somewhere in a dreary, dark Undertaker shop, the body of a young boy began to stir.

Meanwhile, as the children watched the carnage and marking of Ciel with wide eyes, they realized suddenly that this boy, once one of them, was the one that had saved them - saved them, and spared them. Silently, suddenly, and unexpectedly, each of the children almost automatically pledged themselves to their new hero - to Ciel Phantomhive.

* * *

**AN:** Thanks for reading! I need five reviews for the next chapter - criticism welcome! Flames will be ridiculed!

Ciao for now,

DragonSiren7


	3. Chapter 2

**AN**: THANK YOU SO MUCH EVERYONE! You guys are reviewing _much _faster than I can write! So, sorry for the late update! I said - what, five reviews? - and you all blew me away! This is fantastic!

Also, big round of thanks to Paxloria, my beta for this story.

Thank you, as always, for the comments and critiques, my wonderful reviewers!

* * *

**Paxloria** (Thanks for finding the typos, bng my beta, talking me out of the theme song idea, and reminding me about Beo's hair!)

**Ryuujin Shinkami Ashura**

**Person345** (THANK YOU SO MUCH! I really hope you continue to love my story! Feel free to make suggestions, if you want! Hope you like Beo's re-entry!)

**Opinr** (Thanks!)

**BloodyGrim**

**CosmosQueen**

**Guest**

**merit7**

**ShikiRiian** (I'm glad you like the dynamic between Harry and Ciel!)

**kat1316** (Never fear, Harry's here! ^_- )

**foxchick1** (About the mark, it is partly explained in this chapter, but Harry put an over poured glamour and tracking charm on the brand, so Sebastian only gets a glimpse of it when Ciel and Harry's magic react to each other. The children will be addressed in the Jack the Ripper arc)

**DearestDestiny** (Thanks for the critique, I'll keep that in mind! Also, yes, that was a blatant reference to The Secrets of The Immortal Nicholas Flamel. ^_^" )

**xDarklightx** (I'm glad you like it!

**Guest** (Children will be introduced during Jack the Ripper Arc! And don't worry, I have a feeling I'm stuck with this story. *glances at angry muse* Very stuck.)

**Kagetsuko-taicho** (I hope you continue to enjoy my story!)

**Guest** (I'm glad you like my story so much!

**Slightly Disturbed Cookie Girl** (Enjoy the chapter - don't hurt me!)

**Madam Death** (I'm glad you like my idea and will continue my story. I hope you continue to enjoy it.)

**alexma** (Thank you so much! Don't worry, Beo/Harry returns!)

**Animelover5008** (I'm glad you like it!)

**SpazzyLassy** (Glad you like it)

**Psyka** (I hope you like this update just as much!)

**god of all** (Hope you like it)

**suntan140** (I hope you like the meeting between Harry and Ciel!)

**Natsumi** (I'm glad you like it! Harry really is very protective of Ciel, and does see him as a little brother/son. More about that comes in later on.)

**Don'tBeASourLemon** (Heh, things certainly get interesting with those two later on - not slash - but very... tense... or maybe homicidal... They "get along" in the end, but well... You'll see. Hope you like it!)

* * *

Also, thanks to all the communities that have accepted my story!

* * *

Harry Potter as Master of Death

Master of Death Harry

Random Stuuff I Like

My Many Favorites

Anything that I want to read

Insanity-Red's Library of Favorites

* * *

Onyx (my OC) : ALSO, DS7 does not own Kuroshitsuji or Harry Potter! If you try to sue, I will "try" to assassinate!

Me: -_-" This is what happens when you let your villain/anti-hero say the disclaimer. *sigh* Enjoy!

* * *

A raven haired butler with red eyes rolled a silver trolley into a Victorian Era bedroom with pale walls and an elegant blue bed. "Master, it is time for you to wake up.

For breakfast today, we have a lightly poached salmon accompanied by a delicate mint salad. I can also offer toast, scones, or pain de campagne. Which dish would you care for this morning?"

"A scone," murmured the boy drowsily as he rubbed the sleep from his weary eyes.

Sebastian nodded and began to recite Earl Ciel's schedule. "Today you have a meeting with Mr. Hughes, the authority on the history of the Roman Empire. And this evening, Mr. Damiano of the Poseidon Company will be paying you a visit."

"Oh, is that the man I have in charge of stuffed animals at my factory in India?" questioned Ciel.

"Yes. I'm told he's Italian. We will of course offer him all the hospitality the estate can provide," Sebastian said this with a glint in his eye that did not inspire one to believe what he had said. The butler passed the young, blue-eyed boy a cup of tea with steam coming off the top.

The boy's eyes dropped slightly in pleased recognition as the smell reached his nose. "I know this smell. Is this tea Earl Gray?"

Sebastian gave a closed eyed smile and tilted his head slightly. "Yes, from Jacksons of Piccadilly."

The young boy gave a nod, and, remembering what Beo had drilled into him whenever he was acting like someone called, 'Draco Malfoy,' replied, "Not bad. Thank you."

Sebastian had long since gotten used to these strange quirks of his master when directed at others, but he was still always slightly surprised when Ciel would thank _him_, the _demon _he was _contracted to_, for something. Whenever Sebastian asked why, the boy would always reply "Beo," and stare at his hand, which seemed to show something that only the boy could see. The butler had even tried to look at it with his demonic eyes, but he only ever saw a faint golden glow. It had long since joined the list of strange things about his new master.

"Also, you have received a letter, young master," continued Sebastian.

"Oh? From who?" questioned Ciel uninterestedly. Sebastian glanced down at the letter once more, eyes furrowing at the strange address.

"It is blank, but from someone who signed it as 'the little lord's Hero,' with a capital H."

Ciel froze, his eyes wide. Immediately his hand shot out and snatched the letter, almost too fast for Sebastian to see, causing the demon to blink in surprise. As Sebastian watched Ciel hold the blank letter, the butler noticed a soft glow coming from the earl's left hand, prompting another golden gleam from the letter.

Both butler and boy watched with wide eyes as golden writing appeared on the letter from top to bottom. The signature at the bottom changed to a symbol of an oval inside a triangle, both split in half by a straight line. Sebastian watched with wide eyes and a strange, sinking feeling in his gut as he watched a matching mark become visible on Ciel's left hand, standing out in black ink streaked and spotted with gold. However, just as he blinked, both symbols vanished.

The butler had a terrible, unexplainable feeling that his meal had just escaped.

No, it was surely just a trick of the light...

As Sebastian was thinking, the young Earl read the letter from start to finish, a small, barely noticeable smile curling in his lips. Suddenly, a resounding knock echoed throughout the manor, causing everyone to glance up before shrugging and continuing on... well, in the case of the three servants, anyway.

Ciel Phantomhive lifted up his head and looked his butler in the eye, that unidentifiable smile still in his face. "Get the door, Sebastian. Beo Wulf has arrived."

"Very well, Young Master," replied Sebastian. Ciel fingered a dart next to him, contemplating on throwing it, before shrugging and sending it flying towards Sebastian. The butler reached behind him and grabbed the sharp dart without turning around. "Well thrown, my lord. Even so, let's save the games for later. We have another guest and a rather busy schedule, after all."

Ciel sighed, but his blue eyes remained bright as he hopped out of bed. "Yes, I suppose you're right, Sebastian."

* * *

**Chapter Two** - His Butler and His Hero, Able Men

* * *

While Sebastian went to gather Beo, Ciel sat at the dining room table, fingering (yet another) sharp dart. The manor's three servants - a boy, a man, and a woman - acted as the gardener, chef, and maid. The trio were gathered near the table, making a ruckus over something.

Just as Ciel was preparing to throw the dart at Finny, Sebastian stepped into the doorway of the room, a fairly young boy with shaggy black hair that framed his face like a lion's mane and brilliant emerald eyes following behind him. The only thing that distracted from the boy's seemingly natural magnificence was the scarred and burned mark over his upper right face. Ciel froze, his eyes wide as he stared at the other boy.

"There you are! Have you finished weeding the courtyard, Finny? Mey-Rin, have you washed all the beddings? Bardroy, shouldn't you be preparing for tonight's dinner?" lectured Sebastian, irritation obvious on his face. He glanced at the old man in the corner who sat drinking tea, and sighed. "Tanaka... well, I suppose you're all right as you are. Now all of you, we have no time for thumb twiddling this morning. So get to work!"

The three servants stiffened and saluted. "Yes, sir!"

The black clad butler signed and shook his head, pinching the bridge of his nose as the three servants sprinted from the room. "Simply hopeless," he sighed. The young boy by his side laughed, his eyes bright as he threw back his head.

"I remember saying that to you, once," he murmured to the butler, just low enough that only the black haired man could hear him. Sebastian twitched, his eyes widening as he looked at the boy with a mix of confusion and shock before becoming impassive once more.

Ciel was still frozen in his seat, staring at the other boy. "Beo," he whispered softly. The other boy grinned roguishly, inclining his head in greeting.

"Hello, Ciel." The Young Earl nearly flew out of his chair before stopping himself and standing up calmly, walking over to the other boy with brisk strides that were only slightly faster than normal.

"Is... Is it really you?" he asked softly. Beo nodded, humor dancing in his eyes. Ciel seemed to hesitate over something before he drew back his hand and slapped the other in the face. Hard.

"Ow..." groaned Beo as he watched the Earl, who's hand was still glowing silver from the magic he had put behind the slap.

"Do you have any idea how worried I was? I thought you were dead! Why didn't you try and find me? Where the hell were you? What happened to you! Never do that again, do you hear me? That's an order! I thought you were gone for good!" With that, Ciel humphed, crossed his arms, uncrossed them again, and practically threw himself into Beo's arms, tears leaking down his face.

"It's nice to see you too, Ciel," the other boy laughed quietly. Ciel drew back, rubbing his face clear of tears and settling into "Slytherin mode" - as Beo dubbed it - once more.

"And why do you look so _old_?" That made both Beo and Sebastian blink before the boy through back his head and practically roared with laughter.

"Perceptive as always, Ciel. I suppose I owe you several explanations, don't I?" Ciel nodded furiously, his eyes still slightly red and a blush creeping up his cheeks from his childlike behavior.

"Excuse me, Young Master, but I must leave to make preparations for the other guest," informed the butler, bowing and placing a hand over his heart.

"You are excused, Sebastian," replied Ciel. The black haired butler nodded before striding out of the room. Beo grinned at the Earl and winked at him as the demon left.

"Well, to start with my lengthy explanation, while my name is normally known to be Beo Wulf, my close family and friends know me as Harry James Potter, the Master of Death...

* * *

(**AN**: Ha! You thought you'd learn more details about Beo, did you? Nope! That's for later...! Don't worry, you won't have to wait long, just until the Jack the Ripper Arc! ^_- ...and then some... ^_^")

*Now, because I am lazy and this chapter is already humongous, I am skipping over Sebastian skipping through the hallways and the servants mucking everything up. TIME SKIP!*

* * *

A brown haired man in a fancy suit stepped out of a black carriage, his eyes wide as he took in an elegant mansion with a peaceful Japanese stone garden in front of it. "Oh, how impressive!" cried Mr. Damiano of the Poseidon Company as he strolled up the boardwalk in his black Italian loafers.

"Hello, welcome, sir," called out the three servants as Mr. Damiano walked by them.

Sebastian gave the visitor a closed eyed smile as he waved his hand to indicate the front yard of the mansions. "This is called a stone garden. It is a traditional feature in Japan."

"Ah, prodigioso! Wonderful! Truly an elegant garden," exclaimed the Italisn happily.

Sebastian smiled, his head tilting slightly as he did so. "We thought it appropriate to serve dinner al fresco this evening. Allow me to escort you inside until the meal is ready," he said with a short bow and a wave of his hand. "Also, another guest of my master's will be joining us for dinner this evening."

Mr. Damiano smiled and chuckled, sticking his hands in his pockets. "Ha ha ha, I should have expected this from a Phantomhive. I cannot wait to see what else is in store!"

As Mr. Damiano strolled inside the giant Phantomhive mansion! Sebastian turned back to the relieved servants whom were loitering outside the giant oak doors. "Phew, we actually did it!" laughed Bard.

Finny smiled and nodded, his young head of blonde hair bobbing enthusiastically. "Who would've thought a dozen box of gravel could turn into an amazing garden?"

Sebastian gave another one of his slightly creepy smiles that were supposed to be encouraging and nodded along. "Naturally we were able to handle this. We serve the Phantomhive family after all. There's still work to be done. Let's take care of it while the master and Mr. Wulf are talking business with our lord's guest. Look sharp now."

The three servants nodded and saluted Sebastian as one. "Right!" they yelled. Sebastian just sighed and shook his head before heading back into the manor to finish preparations.

* * *

Mr. Damiano was surprised when he walked into the dark drawing room and took his seat at the table to see a board game sitting before him. There was also a teenage boy, his shoulder-length black hair was tied back with an bright green ribbon that matched its wearer's eyes. The teen was in a black suit with emerald trim and a matching shirt. When Damiano looked closely, he realized that the boy's skin was much too pale to be healthy, and his teeth glinted in the low lighting. The overall effect was chilling, and the Italian realized this must be the guest that the butler had mentioned.

He felt less confident that his plan would work by the second.

Nevertheless, he continued to try and earn himself more money as the board game progressed, interjecting whenever he could, "The progress we've been making with the East India Factory is quite astonishing. We already have the makings of a top-notch staff."

Both boys ignored the man, Beo rolling his eyes discretely and the Earl resting his chin on his fist. Ciel spoke up suddenly, cutting Mr. Damian's off. "Bewitched by the eyes of the dead. What terrible luck. It appears you lose a turn."

Seeing his chance, Mr. Damiano began to talk yet again. "Right now is the perfect time. We should begin expanding the company and building a strong labor force, it would-"

"It appears that it is my turn then, Earl Phantomhive, Mr. Lockhart - I mean, Mr. Damiano," continued Beo smoothly, smirking as he heard Ciel stifle a snicker. He had told the boy about Gilderoy Lockhart earlier, when he had heard about what Mr. Damiano had done with the Poseidon Company.

"Hmmm, oh my. Heralded by the King. Skip a turn, then move directly towards the end. How convenient." Both Beo and Ciel smirked as the elder boy read off the card.

"You're move, Mr. Damiano," interjected Ciel before the foolish man could begin to speak once more.

"Oh, yes. I just spin this then," he said nervously, loosening his collar slightly. "Okay there, five spaces. Now, what I wanted to ask you. Perhaps you could contribute another 12,000 pounds to support our expansion? I believe it will be quite a profitable venture for you, my lord, and I would consider it an honor to help expand the Funtom Company…"

Ciel gave no indication that he heard the other man as he rolled the dice, giving a grim grin at the result. "Lose a leg in the enchanted forest. And it's your turn again, Sir Wulf. A turn was lost, remember?"

Beo smiled indulgently at the Earl. "Of course, but it appears that I too must skip a turn. I believe my character is currently having a lovely discussion with a King. Your turn, Mr. Damiano."

"Oh, I see," blinked the Italian, offended at being continuously ignored. "Right, I move six."

Ciel frowned and cut him off. "You don't. That's three."

"What? But…" stuttered Mr. Damiano.

The black haired teen gave a closed eyed and mouthed smile as he titled his head. "You lost a leg, if you recall. Now you only move half the number of spaces." Something about that smile sent a chill down the Italian's spine, but he brushed it off like any good businessman would and continued on with his charade.

"Oh my, ha ha ha ha. This is a gruesome board game, isn't it? Is there-a... no way for me to restore my leg, then?" he chuckled, stuttering slightly at the end.

Ciel gave a tight lipped smile that appeared to be more of a grimace as he turned away. "I'm afraid once something is truly lost, sir, that one can never get it back again."

Beo gave a quick, savage, grin before he read off where Mr. Damiano had landed. "Your body is burnt by raging flames."

Needless to say, the Italian was beginning to feel a might bit terrified of the black and crimson haired youth.

Just as Damiano was about to begin another spiel on his Company being granted more money, the butler from before stepped into the room and bowed.

"Pardon the interruption, but dinner is served," declared Sebastian in his usual formal, if slightly dramatic manner.

"Oh, dinning out in that exquisite stone garden? Shall we go, my lord?" grinned the Italian charmingly. Beo was, by now, very sure that this man was somehow related to Gilderoy Lockhart. If only he was blonde...

"Very well, we'll finish the game later," stated Ciel, pulling his friend out of his thoughts.

"Oh, is there any real need to finish it? It's obvious I'm going to lose," said the business man with his Italian accent.

"I'm not in the habit of abandoning games halfway through," declared the Earl, and the other youth nodded along.

"Yes, otherwise it simply wouldn't be fair for all those... less skilled... players. It's only right that they have a chance to catch up," the teen stated with a charming grin, his hand held palm-up as if he was stating the most obvious thing in the world.

The Italisn tsked and rolled his eyes. "How childish," he muttered lowly. Unfortunately for him, it wasn't said quietly enough, and both boys gave him asharp eyed glare. "Oh I, I mean that sometimes it takes a child's eyes to see what's really important. It's a true gift. Maybe that's what's made the Phantomhives the nation's foremost toy makers. It certainly impresses me!" the man lied through his teeth.

Beo felt his teeth grind together as he resisted the urge to throttle the Italian. On the bright side, he had a feeling that this fool wouldn't last nearly as long as his Lockhart counterpart, and would also meet a... "tragic"... end.

Out in the beautiful stone garden, the black haired butler grinned as he efficiently served the three guests their Japanese-style meal. "On tonight's menu is a dish of finely-sliced beef donburi courtesy of our chef Bardroy," grinned Sebastian. Ciel gave a barely audible sigh and shared an exasperated glance with Beo.

"Bard," grinned the elder exasperatedly. Ciel just sighed again.

"A pile of raw beef. And this is dinner?" stated the Italian disbelievingly.

Immediately, Sebastian went into "superman mode" and gave one of his full-blown, charming grins that made the very air seemingly sparkle around him. "Yes, but surely you have heard of it? This, good sir, is a traditional Japanese delicacy, a dish offered as a sign of gratitude to someone who has accomplished important work. That, sir, is the wonder of donburi!" he exclaimed dramatically.

"Oh, donburi!" cried the Italian joyfully.

"How gullible..." murmured Beo in disbelief, almost gawking at the Italian. "Such a Lockhart... stroke his ego, and suddenly everything is butterflies and rainbows... How much do you want to bet that the library is a mess?" Ciel just barely kept himself from smirking, and nudged Beo playfully.

"Shush, I have a feeling Sebastian isn't done showing off yet," murmured the Earl to the grinning teen.

As predicted, Sebastian continued with his dramatic presentation. "This is a token from our master, to show his thanks for all your hard work on the company's behalf. He wanted you to know that it's much appreciated."

The three servants hiding in the bushes sighed in relief.

"Now that's our Sebastian for you!" 'quietly' cheered Finny.

"He saved the day!" agreed Bard.

"Ho ho ho." Needless to say, that was Tanaka's contribution.

"Excellent, what an inspired idea!" cried the Italian joyfully, becoming caught up in the dramatic excitement. "The legendary Phantomhive hospitality in action!"

Sebastian gave another of his creepy smiles and continued to announce the meal. "The vintage we are pouring tonight was specially selected to compliment the flavor of soy sauce. Mey-Rin," he said, indicating for the maid to pour the wine. However, the clumsy maid just stood frozen, eyes wide. "Now, Mey-Rin," Sebastian murmured urgently.

"Y-Yes, sir!" whimpered Mey-Rin.

"Why are you just standing there? Pour the man a glass of wine," hissed the demon butler.

"Of course, yes, sir!" Mey-Rin blushed in embarrassment, and her glasses cracked.

In the bushes, Bard and Finny frowned at the nervous and clumsy maid. "Hey..." whispered Bard. "Is it just me or is Mey-Rin acting a little strange?"

Eyes wide, Mey-Rin whispered to herself, "Sebastian is watching me. I can't take it. Don't look at me that way!" Meanwhile, both Sebastian and Beo sweat dropped as they caught Mey-Rin's whisper with their enhanced hearing.

Mey-Rin shakily began to pour the wine... only to miss Mr. Damiano's cup completely and spill it onto the table cloth... continuously. "Ah~!" cried Bard and Finny in a mixture of shocks and horror.

Finny whispered urgently to the maid, "Mey-Rin, stop it! Can't you see you're spilling the wine?"

Just as the red liquid was nearing the edge of the white tablecloth, Sebastian jumped into action and whipped off the stained cloth without letting a drop of wine fall or a single piece of silverware so much as tip.

Mr. Damiano's eyes widened as he blinked at the suddenly tablecloth-less table. "Oh? Where did the tablecloth go?"

The young Earl spoke up quickly, his voice smooth and persuasive. "A speck of dirt, most unsightly. I had the cloth removed so it wouldn't distract us. Think nothing of it."

Beo nodded his agreement. "As a Phantomhive, it would be most unseemly to allow any stain to remain," the boy's emerald eyes flashed dangerously as he spoke.

Sensing danger, Sebastian spoke up quickly. "Please accept my apologies, sir. Do continue. Enjoy the meal at your leisure."

"Oh, Oh my! Lord Phantomhive, once again you have truly impressed me. What an able butler you've acquired," declared the Italian. Sebastian smiled smugly, and Beo rolled his eyes when the Italian looked away.

"Pay him no mind. He merely act as befits one of my servants," stated Ciel dismissively.

"Draco Malfoy," hissed Beo under his breath, but Ciel just ignored him.

Sebastian simply smiled indulgently. "My master is quite correct about that. Naturally, you see, I am simply one hell of a butler."

"He's patronizing me, isn't he?" humphed Ciel under his breath to his brother in all but blood. Beo smirked.

"I'd have to agree."

After dinner ended, the three made their way back to the drawing room, taking their seats around the board game once more. "That was a thoroughly enjoyable dinner, my lord. Now then, about the contract…" began Mr. Damiano.

"Before we discuss that, we must finish the game," frowned the Earl in disapproval. Beo rolled his eyes again, getting a kick in the shin from Ciel for his rudeness.

"Ah, yes of course. I do have a pressing appointment, perhaps another ti…" prompted Mr. Damiano in an attempt to hurry the other up.

Ciel frowned and glared at the Poseidon Company businessman. "Children can be very demanding about their games. Surely you wouldn't want me to get upset." His voice carried a tone if warning that indicated it was a barely veiled threat.

"No, no of course not. Perhaps you would permit me to use your telephone?" interjected Mr. Damiano quickly in an attempt to smooth any feathers he had ruffled.

Sebastian came in as Mr. Damiano hastily stood up. "I've brought some tea for everyone's enjoyment," commented Sebastian lightly.

"I'll be right back," assured the Italian as he practically scuttled out of the room.

"What is this? It smells terribly weak," frowned Ciel as he sniffed the tea. Beo rolled his eyes and promptly dumped his tea in a potted plant.

"Out of consideration for our guest, I brought some Italian tea," stated Sebastian.

"Italian?"

"Italians drink more coffee than tea, little lord," piped in Beo, not noticing Sebastian's eyes widen slightly at the endearment only to narrow when he was not reprimanded for using it. "Finding high-quality Italian tea can be difficult. I thatke it that this particular selection is not to your liking then? This comes as no surprise. You're rather bold, little lord, and your tea tends to match your attitude. If you do wish to try real Italian tea that may be to your liking, I suggest Capielli Black Tea. _(__**AN**__: I have no idea if such tea exists, I just wanted to type "Capielli." I don't even know if that's a real word- let a lone an 'Italian' word)._

"Perhaps I'll try it one day," said Ciel. "As for this tea... No, I don't like it. I don't like it at all."

A dark scowl flickered across Sebastian's face for a split second before it vanished. "I'll see to the dessert preparations," the butler declared.

Ciel nodded. "Good. We must show him every available hospitality. The Phantomhive family is known for its courtesy."

"Yes, my young lord," agreed Sebastian politely. As the demon was about to leave, the emerald eyed teen languidly stood from his chair and stretch.

"I believe I will join you, Sebastian. I'm afraid if I sit here any longer, I'll never feel up to moving again." Ciel smirked wryly as Beo strolled out of the room, the teen only pausing to grab his piece and move it to the end of the board game, where he landed on 'Happiness.' "I win," he murmured softly.

Ciel's chuckles followed the duo as they left the room.

"I'm-a tired of-a babysitting this-a child earl. Yes, I've already sold off the factory. Now all that's left is to pocket the extra cash. I'm trying to squeeze more out of the brat right now. The employees? Who cares about them? Ah...! Never mind. The rest of the formalities are for you to deal with. No, it'll be easy. Please, he's only a child," chattered Mr. Damiano as he spoke on the telephone. There was a sudden creak in the empty room, and a shadow flitted in the corner of his eye. The Italian hastily hung up and walked into the hallway, looking around.

"Ah...! Impossible… I'm seeing things," the man murmured incredulously.

As the Italian wondered down the hallways, he caught sight of the painting of Ciel's parents. Suddenly, their faces seemed to become white masks and their eyes like limitless black holes. Ciel's voice rang out, "Bewitched by the eyes of the dead."

The Italian stumbled back, eyes wide. He blinked, and suddenly the faces had returned to normal. "Ah... No, that's ridiculous," he mumbled to himself, as he continued down the hallways.

Frowning, the brunette opened several doors in the long hallway. A bedroom. A bathroom. A sitting room. "Huh. Not here either. Or here… This manor is like a giant maze. I can't even find the drawing room!" he grouches to himself. Suddenly, he stiffened as he felt strands of cold air touching his back. The Italian slowly turned around, his eyes wide as he came face to face with a ghostlike apparation. At the end of the hallway, he could just barely make out a silhouette with glowing emerald eyes and a fanged smile.

Ciel's voice rang out once more in the darkness, "Bewitched by the eyes of the dead."

"Ah... eh, ahh! S-stay, stay away from me!" Damiano cried out in fear. He ran in blind panic, turning a corner only to trip and fall down the staircase.

"Lose a leg in the enchanted forest," whispered Ciel's voice in his ear. The Italian whimpered and began crawling away.

"Ah, sir, are you all right?" cried the maid from earlier as she caught sight of the wounded businessman at the bottom of the staircase.

"Ah! His right leg... it's twisted round. What happened to it?" cried Finny in shock as he joined Mey-Rin.

"Hey, what's wrong?" chimed in Bard, just now noticing the man as he crawled away.

"Our guest! Something's happened!" fretted the lavender haired ex-assassin.

"Don't worry about it, Miss Mey-Rin," said a figure as he strolled down the staircase. The servants turned to the newcomer, not noticing that their guest seemed to crawl away faster at the sound of the voice.

"You're the guest from earlier!" said the blonde gardener excitedly.

"Hmm, yes, I am," said the teen, smiling with his eyes closed while tilting his head. "I am Beo Wulf, and will be joining you all at the manor as the little lord's bodyguard. In the meantime, Ciel asked me to come check on his guest. If you'll excuse me," the raven continued with a bow as he strolled away.

"He's so polite..." whispered Mey-Rin.

"Just like Sebastain!" chimed in Finny.

"Argh, can you believe this! If this Beo is just as good as Sebastian, the Earl might decide we are useless! We have to be twice as effective from now on!" growled Bard.

"Right!" chorused the other servants.

While the trio was making their pledge, their forgotten Italian guest was slowly being driven by fear as Ciel's voice seemingly followed him, echoing off the halls.

"And now you lose one leg in the enchanted forest." Damiano whimpered and attempted to crawl faster, realizing that he was getting closer to the exit. Before he could continue on, however, he came face-to... well, boot, with the shiny polished shoes of the Phantomhive's Head butler.

"Surely you aren't leaving the manor yet, sir? We haven't given you the full Phantomhive treatment yet. We still have to serve dessert," grinned the butler, a terrifying smile on his face as he took a step closer to the Italian as the other man attempt to crawl backwards. "You've lost a leg, remember? Now you can only move half the number of spaces. So why not just relax a bit and make yourself at home?"

Damiano whimpered once again and crawled away as fast as he could. Spotting a dark hallway, he crawled down the corridor until he reached the servant's stairwell. After scooting himself down the stairs, the Italian spotted the large front door of the mansion. "Thank God," he breathed in relief.

"I'm sorry, sir, but there is no God in this mansion. This is my domain," stated an eerily familiar voice behind him. The Italian froze, his brown eyes wide and breathing panicked as he turned and saw the teen from earlier.

"Please..." he whimpered. The green eyes hardened, and fangs were bared in a savage sneer.

"How pathetic. The Phantomhives do not handle traitors lightly. You are truly worthless. Not only do you betray the little lord and expect him to not realize it, but your deception also ruined the lives of hundreds of workers, who's jobs were supplied by _your_ factory. Once their lives were ruined, so were their family's, and the amount of people affected grows.

However, I am not without mercy." The boy grinned and laughed, the terrifying sound echoing throughout the room and pressing in on the Italian. "Run," howled the boy, and Damiano ran, softly crying out in pain each time he stepped on his mutilated leg.

* * *

"Damn, It's too dark. Is this a cupboard? Damn, these are really tight quarters. What's this…? Smells like sugar," muttered the Italian as he crawled into a tight, iron space in an attempt to escape the butler and the bodyguard.

"What an impatient guest we have," chuckled the butler, his voice as smooth and deep as ever. "You couldn't even restrain yourself until dessert was out of the oven?"

"The, the oven?" cried the Italian in horror as flames licked around him. Open up! Please, open the door!"

"Perhaps the Italians aren't familiar with our customs. There's plum pudding, mincemeat pie. There are many traditional desserts here in England that make use of meat. I find them all quite tasty," grinned the butler savagely.

"You would, wouldn't you... Sebastian," came a new voice. The butler whirled around, only to relax again as he saw Beo resting against a wall.

"Pardon me. You just... I thought you were someone else," apologized the butler. The other boy grinned and tossed back his head, laughing quietly.

"No worries. There's a first for everything, I suppose... Should we let our guest out before he dies, or after?" asked Beo quite curiously. Sebastian frowned, then shrugged and unlocked the oven.

"Shall we let our guest decide?"

The demon and teen shared equally dark grins, and the Italian crawled from the room, their chuckles yapping at his heels like the hounds of Hell.

The earl's voice echoed in his head one last time as he crawled down the gravel driveway of the mansion. "Your body is burnt by raging flames."

"Aghhhhhhhh!" cried Damiano in horror and agony.

Back in the mansion, the servants stood up, looking around worriedly. "What was that? Someone screamed," commented Bard.

"Don't know," shrugged Finny, only to brighten as he caught sight of the butler and bodyguard walking towards them. "Oh, hi Sebastian! Hullo, Beo!"

"Thank you for your hard work today," grinned Sebastian so he made his way over to the servants. "As a reward how would you like some lemon meringue pie? The sugar will give you energy."

"Sebastian! You're such a nice person! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" cried Finny happily. Beo snorted and gave a cough that sounded suspiciously like a laugh.

"Thank you so much Sebastian! Thank you!" shouted Bard happily.

"Oh, yes, and Bard, a workman will be coming by in the morning. When he arrives kindly let him know we'll be needing our oven thoroughly cleaned," announced Beo, a small, lilting smile on his face.

"Huh? The oven?" muttered the confused pyromaniac-erm... chef...

The butler calmly strolled back to the drawing room and his young master, while Beo went off to who-knows-where.

"Mr. Damiano, I hope you enjoyed your stay, and the Phantomhive family hospitality, all the way down to your bones," chuckled Sebastian as he caught sight of the Italian out of the drawing room window.

"Huff, huff... Mamma mia!" cried the Italian in horror as he saw the silhouette from earlier, and a flash of green light was the last thing he ever saw.

Unfortunately for Sebastian and Ciel, neither saw the flash, and they definitely did not notice the body being dragged away by a skipping, silver-haired man.

"Humph, ha ha ha. What an unattractive scream," commented Ciel. "He sounds almost like a pig taken off to slaughter. Humph, What presumption, first he sells the East Indian factory without telling me, and then he dares to ask for more money? Did he think to retain my trust?

"I'm afraid once something is truly lost, one can never get it back again," whispered the Earl sadly as he looked out the window and Sebastian left the room, just as Beo was entering. The two ravens shared a glance and a nod before the 'younger' walked up to Ciel and placed a hand on his shoulder in silent comfort.

"My parents were murdered when I was a year and a half," murmured the elder of the two as the other rested against him.

"Did you kill the person who caused it?"

"Yes," sighed Beo. "But at great cost. I became immortal, yet still a pawn. This time, though, the King was not a greedy uncle or a Headmaster vying for the greater good, but rather Fate. As much as I struggle, some things must remain unchanged."

"The cage," murmured the navy haired boy in realization. "That's why you couldn't blast open the cage and help me escape. I... I had to summon Sebastian."

"Yes, you did, but that is not the only reason. If I could have, I would have spared you the pain and freed all of us locked in there. However, those bars had been designed by a holy being. They repelled my magic and abilities," replied Harry.

"Good," said Ciel savagely. "If you had betrayed me to Fate simply because you were told to, bound by rules, I would never have forgiven you," he snarled.

"I would expect nothing less of you," chuckled Harry. "Luckily for us, Fate doesn't know about me not being able to destroy the cage. Now, as far as Fate is concerned, my debt for this lifetime is paid," he said with a grin.

Ciel laughed - _actually _laughed - as Beo winked cheerily. "Move me as you will, Ciel, but I will never be a pawn."

"I know, brother, I know," chuckled the Earl.

"Now then, I do believe it's past your bedtime, little lord."

"Haaarrryyyyyyy!~"

* * *

**AN**: Thank you for reading! Ten reviews for next chapter!

Also, would you prefer quicker updates and shorter chapters, or longer updates and longer chapters?

**EDITED ON: **7/14/2014 **OR** 14/7/2014


	4. Chapter 3

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own Kuroshitsuji.

...This is the longest chapter I have ever written... Daaang... Also, this has not yet been through my entire round of betas. I just really wanted to get this up for ya'll. I will update another edited one at a later date - mostly likely.

* * *

In a bright corridor, three servants and one bodyguard were staring at a mouse infested room in horror. "Bloody hell, this wire's done for," moaned Bard as he fingered the electric wires.

"Oh, not the rats again!" groaned Mey-Rin in frustration. Let it be known that ex-snipers did NOT know how to deal with rats of the animal variety.

"This is gettin' ridiculous. I mean I heard they'd been plaguin' London lately, but I never expected them to be such a problem this far out of the city," complained Bard as he rocked back on his heels and ran a hand through his ash blonde hair.

"It could be worse," chimed in Beo, leaning against the doorway. He had long since gotten over his frustration and horror at the rodent's mess and had settled into a passive, numb state.

The servants were worried what would happen once he snapped out of it. Suddenly, a small, grey rodent ran across the hall, squeaking as it went.

"AHHHHHH!" screamed the BFM-R trio. Beo just sighed, not caring at all until he saw the blonde gardener pick up a stone bust and lift in preparations to throw.

"Now I've got you, rat!" cackled Finny, much less sane normal (and that was saying something).

"NOO!" cried Bard and Mey-Rin in horror as the stone fell on top of them. Just before it hit the duo, a tanned hand snatched out and caught it midair. They turned to see Beo with his usual, amused smile and his midnight black hair out of it's typical ponytail, the bangs covering the right side of his face. Apparently, he had gotten a terrible scar in a fight, and, while he could cover it up (the servants presumed he used make-up/concealer), the 17 year old boy preferred to simply let it be covered by his hair (AN: yes, Beo aged, he can choose his age because he is the Master of Death. More will be explained eventually). He calmly set the stone down and promptly walked away, with no one noticing the twitch in his eye.

"What's up with him?" muttered Bard to the maid. Mey-Rin shrugged, her eyes wide as the two peered down the corridor in hopes of catching a glimpse of the bodyguard.

"Looks like it got away, hehe," laughed Finny obliviously.

"What are you laughin' for? Are you tryin' to kill us too, you idgit?" Bard yelled, an angry tick forming in his forehead as he glared at the blond gardener.

Tanaka, the ever unflappable, simply gave his signature, "Ho-ho."

* * *

CHAPTER THREE - HIS HERO AND HIS BUTLER, STRONGEST

* * *

Beo sighed inaudibly as loud crashes and panicked cries echoed from the hallway.

"Quite a commotion going out there. It seems you're experiencing a rat problem as well," smirked Sir Randall - arguably the most annoying (if relatively harmless) person he had met since Cornelius Fudge. Harry rolled his eyes as a rather overweight man - Sir Walbert, head of the Queen's accounts and squib son of an influential Dark family - spoke up with his mouth full of sandwich, "Speaking of which, how long will you let the vermin run wild? Filthy monsters. Someone really ought to take care of them, don't you think?"

Beo just barely held back a snort of disbelief, and he saw Ciel and all of the Earl's companions were wearing matching smirks. Oh, what was his little brother into now... "And someone will. He is just waiting for the opportune moment," commented the Chinese man, his eyes closed peacefully and head tilted innocently to the side. Harry smirked - the Dark magic was practically rolling off of the man in waves. It would make it so very easy to mess with the man's head.

"Indeed," agreed Ciel's aunt, Madame Red. "He prefers to settle things with one blow. Will you pass on this turn too, Lord Phantomhive?"

"I'll pass. It's my policy not to shoot if I know that I'll miss," smirked the Earl.

"That's all very well, but when will you handle the problem?" ground out Sir Dumb Mustache, aka Randall.

A blonde man with a scar running down his face jerked and scratched the table, making the Q ball roll into the net. "Ugh... tch," grunted the man, whom reminded Harry of a less refined Malfoy. Another squib, perhaps? More interesting than the man's family history, however, was the blonde's reaction to Ciel's statement. Harry would have to keep an eye out for that one.

"Even so, locating the nest and eliminating the vermin promises to be a tedious task. You should concentrate on preparing me a suitable reward," taunted Ciel.

"What a vulture!" sneered Sir Randall. Harry snarled silently, choosing that moment to step out of the shadows from where he had been hiding under his invisibility cloak. Luckily for Beo, it just so happened that his hiding place had been directly behind Sir Randall's chair.

"Tsk, tsk, Sir Randall. Do be careful how you smear my Lord's family name," purred Beo darkly, his voice sending shivers down everyone's spine. Lau's eyes shot open as he stared at the owner if the voice, his mouth working up and down silently before he shut it with an audible click and stepped closer towards Ciel and Sebastian, as if hoping that they would protect him. Sir Randall gulped slightly, turning around to come face to face with a smiling young man.

"W-Who are you?" he stuttered out.

"Oh my, how rude of myself. Do forgive me. I am Sir Wulf, the little Lord's bodyguard," grinned the sixteen year old, his black bangs falling slightly into chilling emerald eyes.

In a rather stupid attempt to lighten the tension of the room, Vanel spoke up and redirected the conversation into potentially safer waters. "Ha, you're in trouble now, Randall. What next, Lord Phantomhive?"

"It's time to put an end to this worthless game, don't you think?" Ciel nodded politely to the man before turning back to Sir Randall with a blank face. "How soon can you secure the payment?"

Randall grimaced and sighed, looking away from the young boy. "Tonight, I'll have it by then."

"Then I'll send a carriage for you later. We can even prepare some light entertainment for you, does that sound good?" smirked Ciel condescendingly as the young Earl strode up to the pool table, his polished black boots clacking softly against the floor. He hoisted himself up onto the polished edge of the table and carefully took aim.

"You passed your turn twice and now you're after them all in one go?" choked out sandwich man - er, that is to say, Sir Walbert.

"Naturally," scoffed the blue clad Earl, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. Beo strode up to stand next to the young Earl in his dark green, almost black, suit, white undershirt, and emerald tie. Even relaxed and with his hands in his pockets, the teenaged bodyguard managed to give off an air of power and strength.

Sir Randall, still slightly intimidated, hesitated before calling out, "Careful, or your greed will undo you," just as Ciel shot. The young boy jerked slightly in surprise, throwing his aim off just slightly. As the eight ball rolled towards one of the nets, it looked as if the black ball would just miss before it suddenly curved and plopped right into the white netting. Beo grinned.

"Am I undone?" murmured Ciel to the room, turning to glare at Randall. Beo placed a hand on the young Earl's shoulder as the young boy hopped off the table.

"Never, little Lord," assured Beo as the lord and his entourage exited the room save for the butler, who rounded up the guests and began to escort them out.

* * *

"Your tea," announced Sebastian as he stepped into the drawing room a short while later. Ciel, Lau, and Madame Red seemed to have been in the middle of a conversation, with Grell and Lau's "sister" lurking on the sidelines. A short distance away, Beo was sprawled out on the plush sofa and reading what appeared to be an ancient tome, the cover so faded not even Sebastian could make it out. The teen's dress jacket had been carelessly slung over the back of the couch, and Sebastian nearly twitched at the sight of the bodyguard's crumpled clothes and messy hair, free from its customary ponytail. Deciding that it would be best to ignore Beo for now, Sebastian turned back to his young master and the other guests. "Your tea. We have a special Darjeeling blend to offer from Fortnum & Mason today."

"Smells lovely. Tea can be excellent when made well," smiled Lau.

"So can other things, I am sure..." drawled Beo from his spot on the sofa, his so very green eyes never leaving the dusty pages of the novel. Both Sebastian and Lau barely suppressed a twitch, both for different reasons.

"Grell," barked out Madame Red imperiously, making her brunette butler perk up immediately.

"Ah, yes, my lady."

"Learn something from Sebastian," ordered the crimson haired Angelina Durless.

"Uh, yes..." murmured Grell submissively, visibly deflating.

"Just look at him. I mean, his physique! You should quit this country job and come work for me in the city," squealed Madame Red, practically molesting Sebastian. The butler jumped, and Beo was by his side in an instant, peeling the woman's prying hands off of Sebastian.

"Ahem! Madam Red," stuttered out Ciel, blushing furiously.

"Oh, Sorry. I couldn't help it. He looked like he needed a physical. Just a doctor's habit," tittered Madame Red, withdrawing her hands fully from both of the black haired males. Beo sighed in relief and wandered back to the sofa, snatching up his book only to come back and plop down on the arm of Ciel's chair and continue reading. Everyone watching sweat dropped slightly at the teen's mindless behavior and returned to their previous conversations.

"So, do you believe the drug trafficker you're after was one of your guests today?" questioned Lau.

"Perhaps," replied Ciel disinterestedly. Beo's jaw dropped and he stared at everyone, wide-eyed.

"Please, you must be joking. It was obviously that scar faced man - Vanel - and don't event try to claim that you disagree, little lord," scoffed Beo, finally closing the book and placing it into one of his seemingly limitless pockets.

"That may be so, but why not leave the extermination to Lau? A rat knows best where the rats' nest is, doesn't he?" begged Angelina Durless, only to be met with the blank stares of Beo, Ciel, and Sebastian.

"I'm but a tame guinea pig dedicated to my lord. If the earl instructs me not to act, I'm bound to do nothing," chimed in Lau, his eyes closed as he smiled (as usual).

"Yes, yes you are. It had best stay that way, Lau," smiled Harry, his voice chilling once more, causing both Sebastian and Ciel regard him in surprise. What did the bodyguard have against Lau? "We wouldn't want delusions of grandeur going to your head, hmmm? We are, after all, just butterflies in the course of history." Lau twitched.

"Of course, Sir Wulf. I would never lay a hand against the adorable young Earl."

"Watch it! You'd best keep your filthy paws off my darling nephew!" interjected Madame Red furiously, yanking Ciel out of his chair and squishing the young Earl against her as she glared at the Chinese man.

"You wound me. I would never paw at him in his own home, dear madam," assured Lau innocently, causing everyone watching to sigh and tsk in annoyance.

Madame Red's jaw dropped and she practically leapt at the secret wizard. "Are you saying you would if you were elsewhere? Careful, you're on thin ice now, sir!" she cried, accidentally pushing Ciel. The boy was just about to fall when a hand shot out, quick as lightning, to grab the little lord's arm and pull him back up. Ciel smiled gratefully up at the emerald eyes of his rescuer.

"Hahahaha. Sorry, I'm joking of course," giggled Lau in a desperate attempt to save the situation as Sebastian, Beo, and Ciel exited the room.

"Master?" said Sebastian in a tilting voice, turning the simple word into a question as the demon studied the odd expression on the young Earl's face. Beo's eyes narrowed as he felt the wards he had out up alert him to the identity of two trespassers.

"Oh, the rats are here..." murmured Ciel as a grey blur ran over his foot and down the corridor.

"Yes, and two human ones outside," hissed Beo.

"Do not attack unless provoked," ordered Ciel immediately, not wanting the other teen's overprotectiveness to ruin his plan. "I want you to stay with Sebastian."

Green eyes glared down at the boy for what seemed to be hours before Beo finally nodded and turned to Sebastian. "What needs to be done first? I have a feeling that our time is running short."

Suddenly, loud shouts came from the other end of the corridor as the three stooges- whoops, servants, raced into view.

"It went that waaaay!" cried Bard dejectedly.

"And here, too..." commented Ciel as he saw several more grey balls of fur.

"Get it! Aghhhhh!" cried Mey-Rin as the mice took off down the corridor with the three stooges in hot pursuit.

Beo didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

Ciel stared after his servants for a second, processing what he just saw, before sighing and shaking his head. "I wonder if that's what my friends and I always looked like, back then... when we were still little kids..." murmured Harry wistfully, watching as the three turned the corner, slipping and sliding as they went.

Sebastian sighed and continued his valiant effort to keep everything running smoothly in the Phantomhive household. "Master. Today's dessert is a deep-dish pie prepared with flesh apples and raisins. It will be ready soon. Would you like to eat with your guests?"

"Bring it to my study. I'm done here," ordered Ciel dismissively. Harry opened his mouth - possibly to hiss about spoiled brats - but then paused, thought better about it, and closed his mouth with a shrug.

"I can't say I blame you."

Sebastian, by now beginning to become accustomed to Beo's untimely interjections, ignored the shorter teen and focused only on his young master. "Certainly, my lord."

Ciel nodded and wandered back to his den, leaving the two raven haired "servants" standing in the hallway. The air immediately filled with tension as Sebatian fought off his desire to glare at the boy and wring his scrawny neck, annoyed at having been denied answers every time he had questioned the bodyguard. Just as it appeared that one of them would make their move, three familiar figures skidded around the corner in pursuit of a horde of rats.

"Oh, for Merlin's sake..." muttered Harry in exasperation. "Does it ever end?"

"Unfortunately, no," ground out the demon butler as the duo watched the three servants run around them in circles, waving fishing nets and tripping over each other.

"This has to be stopped," declared Beo as his left eye began to twitch again.

"For once, it seems we are in agreement," conceded Sebastian, observing the spectacle in distaste. Emerald and garnet eyes met for a brief millisecond before both ravens bent down and snatched up two handfuls of rats, lightning quick.

"That's enough of that. Stop playing and get back to work," ordered Sebastian as he and Beo dumped the rats into the nets and discretely wiped their hands on towels that Sebastian could have sword were not there a minute ago.

"Sir yes sirs," sighed the servants as they turned around to march away.

"A valiant effort. Perhaps next time, though, you should let the mouse traps do their jobs, or fetch one of us," suggested Beo as the three began to walk away, his voice sugar sweet and an innocent smile on his face.

"Um... Uh... Yes sir!" stuttered the blushing servants before they scrambled away.

"They're just going to be worse now, you know," glowered Sebastian as he watched the idiot trio leave, flustered with praise.

"We'll see," replied the other, and that was that.

Now, they just had to wait for their chance to have some fun.

* * *

The navy haired boy paused before he entered the study, his hand faintly trembling as it rested on the handle. He heard the voices of Sebastian, Beo, and the others from a few hallways down, and let out a shaky sigh. Ciel knew that at least one of the men Beo had mentioned were probably in there, but if he wanted to find out who was the drug smuggler was for certain, then this was the best possible route.

_Sebastian... Harry..._

_Don't fail me._

The oak door swung open, and Ciel let out a deep breath before stepping into the room calmly. There was a flash of white, and then a cloth rag was pressed against his face and the familiar smell of chloroform flooded his senses. A last surge of panic went through him, and the golden mark on his hand pulsed, casting a modified shield charm on Ciel to protect him from physical harm.

On the other side of the manor, a black head twitched ever so slightly and emerald eyes narrowed in hate and rage.

"Their souls will never find peace."

* * *

A raven haired butler nonchalantly pushed a metal cart laden with food down the dim, twisted hallways of Phantomhive manor. His fingers twitched ever so slightly and his eyes darted behind him. He knew someone was watching him, but who and from where?

Shaking off the persistent feeling, Sebastian strolled up to an oak door and knocked on it lightly, causing it to swing ajar very slightly. "Young master. I brought your pie and afternoon tea." Receiving no reply, the butler pushed open the door and (fake) gasped at the papers and books strewn throughout the room. "This is terrible...! The refreshments will all be wasted now..."

"You could at least pretend that you care."

Sebastian froze at the familiar voice and turned around to see Beo leaning against the wall, his head tilted so that his emerald eyes were shadowed by the black mane. In that instant, just for a split second, Sebastian experienced an exhilarating rush of familiarity and fear at the unconfined mane of midnight black hair and cruel smirk.

"Death?" Sebastian breathed out, too softly for even himself to hear, before he mentally gave himself a shake and relaxed back to his normal stance. "I am afraid I do not know what you are speaking of," replied Sebastian charmingly, louder this time.

"Hmph. Don't give me that, demon," sneered Beo, tossing back his head and meeting Sebastian's copper eyes, which quickly bled to fuchsia at his words.

"So, the young master told you?" asked the butler.

Beo rolled his eyes and pushed himself off of the paneled wood wall. "Please - you practically leach black soul energy. Not even a Dark Lord has the taint of such evil." Sebastian's eyes widened briefly in realization as he quickly abandoned the cart and paced over to the bodyguard.

"You are a wizard, aren't you?" he questioned with narrowed eyes. "A member of the same type of beings as Lau, I assume."

"As if. Lau is a primitive wizard, not even a proper sorcerer or warlock. He could never match someone of my class," scoffed the seventeen year old. "Now then, I do believe we have an Earl to rescue. Shall we do this your way, or mine?"

"I do believe that, as his contracted servant, the first true mission should be done my way."

"Very well. Lead on."

* * *

,

Sky blue eyes blinked open as Ciel gradually regained consciousness, taking in the rather plain room and the familiar feelings of being bound. The young boy swallowed down his nervousness and glared up at the form above him that was smoking lazily.

"The policeman of England's underworld, one of the nobles who have done the royal family's dirty works for generations. The Queen's guard dog, tasked with disposing of anyone who disagrees with her. Just how many nick names do you have, and how many families have you crushed, Ciel Phantomhive?" sneered the Italian.

"I thought it would be you. You shame your family, Azzurro Vanel," spat the young Earl, speaking past the ball of nervousness in the back of his throat.

"Haha. Come now, my little lord Phantomhive. Do you know how hard it is for the Italian Mafia here? You Englishmen have nothing but tea on the brain. It's difficult to penetrate those small minds of yours, so we have to think outside the box to make money. So we found the drug trade," monologued the brunette in typical villain fashion.

Ciel's glare intensified as he glowered at the scarred man in front of him. "The Pharmacy Act of 1868 listed opium as a restricted substance. It is the Queen's decree. I will eliminate those drugs and the vermin who sell them," he dutifully replied as the Queen's Guard Dog.

Vanel rolled his eyes and turned around, taking several steps away from the boy kneeling on his floor. "Ugh. You know this is why I hate all you Englishmen. The Queen this, the Queen that. You act like this woman is your own mother. You line your pockets while pretending the whole time you're better than the rest of us. But in the end, we are no different from each other. Why can't we get along?" he offered, his tone a mix of exasperation and pleading.

Ciel scoffed at the Italian's pathetic attempt at manipulation. "I've left orders about your key. If I don't come back, my servants will make sure the authorities get it. I'm sorry, I have no interest in getting along with someone like you."

"You brat, don't underestimate me," gritted out Vanel, barely refraining from hitting the Earl. "My men are already waiting at your estate. Where is the key? Spit it out soon or your servants will start dying one by one."

Ciel smirked - Harry's wards would cause any bullet to phase harmlessly through anyone it came in contact with. "Oh, I think they'll be alright. But you'd better hope your lap-dogs know how to fetch."

Vanel sneered at the blue haired boy and lifted the walkie talkie up to his mouth. "Did you hear that? The time for talk is over."

* * *

"Oh dear, this is most troubling. Where could the master have been taken?" wondered Sebastian in a sugar sweet voice, inwardly smirking as Beo visibly twitched. The boy had been attempting to drag him to Vanel manor for the past half hour, and had developed a spectacular eye twitch.

"Sebastian!" panted out the purple haired maid as she ran around the corner. " I just found the letter, yes I did!"

"A letter - how cliché... and idiotic," tsked Beo under his breath, turning away from what he had already disregarded as an unimportant topic.

"Addressed to whom?" questioned Sebastian, a slight edge to his voice.

Mey-Rin squealed and blushed, looking at the floor and scuffing the toes of her shoes slightly. "Oh, to the servants of the Earl Phantomhive."

"Mey-Rin. the letter, please," ground out Sebastian. Honestly, humans were unbelievably dim.. and extremely annoying.

"Eh? Letter? Oh, yes sir!" stammered the maid, handing the plain letter over to the butler. Sebastian eyes skimmed the letter quickly, with Beo peering over his shoulder.

"'If you want to return your Master safely, come to Nova garden Bethmal Green as soon as possible...' Goodness, what a dreadfully written letter," exclaimed Sebastian. Beo's eyes narrowed as his fists clenched slightly.

"You have a time limit, Sebastian. If I feel like things are taking too long, I will end your games and do it my way," growled the messy haired teen lowly.

"I would expect nothing less from a Phantomhive bodyguard," agreed the crow demon.

Suddenly, a glint of metal caught the demon's eye - he was so distracted by Beo, that he had not seen the bullet until it was making contact with Mey-Rin's skin - but then it went right through her and smashed into a porcelain vase, shattering it.

"Try and get Lau to do that," hissed Beo joyfully under his breath, almost prompting Sebastian to roll his eyes at the childish display.

"Sebastian," called the blonde gardener as he, Bard, and Angelina Durless entered the corridor.

"What is going on here?" asked Madame Red.

"Sorry for the noise my lady. I assure you nothing is wrong. Please don't concern yourself," assured Sebastian charmingly.

"Humph, nothing, are you sure?" interrogated Madame Red, frowning.

"Never fear, Madame. I will ensure that everything is taken care of." Beo's eyes flashed almost unnoticeably and his pleasant smile curled into a smirk. "One way or another."

"Everyone, Sir Wulf and I have business to attend to. Would you mind cleaning this up?" Sebatian passed the pie he was going to give to Ciel over to the blonde chef, giving one of his closed mouth smiles.

"Um..." began Bard, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly and closing his eyes. "So, when you say clean uh... that means we can eat it, right?" The army veteran opened his eyes only to blink in shock at the empty hallway. "...Sebastian? Beo?"

"Huh? What's this?" asked Finny as he caught a note that was drifting down slowly. "The pie is yours. Do with it what you will. Take care, Sir Beo Wulf."

"Well, that answers that question," shrugged Bard. "Let's dig in!"

"Yeah!"

* * *

Vanel was pacing back and forth, waiting for word from his assassins and puzzling over a strange development. Every time he had raised his hand to hit the child or pulled his leg back to give him a good kick, a feeling of deep foreboding would settle over him and he would back off again.

Suddenly, the radio crackled to life and a man's voice came through. "Sorry, I missed!" Ciel smirked, and wondered who was the cause - Sebastian, or Harry?

"What do you mean you missed?" snarled Vanel into the phone. "You are complete idiots! Never should have hired scum like you. Just get back here," he ordered.

"Um, sir, something is off," replied the man, peering into the dust cloud from behind the car. "I see something - wait, two somethings. What are those?!" he cried fearfully.

"Oh, what's wrong? Did you little girls see a bear in the woods?" chuckled Vanel, amused at his not-so-witty statement.

Ciel could practically hear Beo's amused voice in his ear, "Just like Uncle Vernon," and glimpse emerald eyes in the corner of his vision before they faded away. The mark on his hand pulsed and sent a warmth rushing through him, leaving the young boy feeling giddy.

'_Ciel? Ciel, can you hear me?'_ Beo's voice rang through his head and the boy nearly jumped out of his skin in shock.

'_Harry?'_ he thought back as hard as he could.

_'AH! OW!_ No need to shout! Listen, I can't keep the connection open very long. Sebastian and I are on the way. If things get out of control, think my name as hard as you can, understand?' The voice was tight and tinged with worry, causing another flash of warmth to flood through Ciel.

_'Alright.'_

_'Take care.' _With that, the presence faded from his mind completely, leaving only a tingling feeling in the back of Ciel's mind. The young Earl was snapped from his mental wondering by a scream, loud and sharp despite the accompanying crackle.

"What is it? Did someone find you? Talk to me," barked Vanel into the phone, a drop of sweat making its way down his face. Ciel could feel a sinister chuckle attempting to escape despite his best efforts.

"Ahhhh! Hurry it up!" came the panicked voices from the walkie talkie, and Vanel clutched it tighter in frustration. "It's coming, closer...!"

The Italian finally lost control and practically shouted, "That's it! I have had enough of your games already!"

"No good, It's here! Aghhhhh!" The device went silent, and Vanel's eyes widened as his hand shook.

"Uh, hello? What's happened?"

Ciel smirked, and finally let his chuckles out. He had a feeling that those two rats would never be found. "Ha, Hahaha. That's too bad. Sounds like your little game of fetch is over." His blue eyes widened as Vanel snarled, the Italian's hand drawing back and punching him hard in the face.

"Ah! Ow, damn!" cried the man, rubbing his hurt knuckles and the fist print that had appeared on his face. "What kind of witchcraft...?"

Ciel could have sworn that he heard Sebastian's familiar, dark chuckle and Harry's voice lazily complaining that he wasn't a witch, dang it!

The Italian's eyes narrowed and he drew back his legs, kicking Ciel in the ribs. Again, Vanel's foot hurt as though he had kicked concrete and his ribs had a nice purple bruise. "So, I can't hurt you, huh?" sneered the man. "Hmm... I wonder what this sorcery considers harm. There are plenty of things I can do with a pretty boy like you." Ciel's eyes widened in terror, and his thoughts scattered in panic. Yet even so, he remained completely stoic on the outside, glaring defiantly at the drug lord.

"You listen to me!" cried the Italian into the walkie talkie as he stepped towards the terrified Earl. "I don't know who you are, but if you don't answer me and hand over what I want, the Phantomhive brat will be the one punished! But don't worry too much, he might even enjoy it!"

"Bad move... I'll make you sssssuffer." Vanel's eyes widened in terror and he gulped audibly. The voice was dark and would have been considered a growl, if it weren't for the slight hissing quality and drawn out "s"s.

Harry.

"Hello," came another voice, much more calm and pleasant, but just as dark as the other.

"Who's this?" stammered out Vanel, in a pathetic attempt to patch up his broken pride and courage.

"Pardon me, but my friend and I represent the Phantomhive estate. We were wondering if our master might be available - for your sake, I hope he is. I'm afraid my friend is becoming a bit impatient." The Italian man's knuckles were white as he gripped the radio in a death grip, and his brown eyes were blown wide. "Hello, is anyone there? Hello?" Sebastian's voice rang out again.

"Ah…I..." stuttered out Vanel, unable to do anything more.

"Checkmate," stated Ciel, his tone bored and calm, although he was anything but inside.

"Very good, young master. We will come to get you momentarily," drawled the butler.

"Ssssee you in a flash, little lord." Vanel gulped, and eyed Ciel warily, as if debating whether or not to carry through with his threat. "Oh, and by the way," Harry's voice rang through the walkie talkie clearly this time, with no hindering static or hissing. "Keep your filthy paws off my brother, or I'll remove them."

The line went dead.

Vanel whimpered.

* * *

Several miles away from the Vanel mansion, two men were trembling in fear, while two others were beginning their interrogation.

"Thank you for the use of your field telephone," grinned the butler, his signature smile sending shivers down the spines of the two assassins. The younger looking man accompanying the butler rolled his eyes before baring his teeth savagely and glaring at the two men.

"Listen up, because I will only ask this once, and then I will let my partner do as he desires." Beo smirked inwardly - he did still have morals, after all, and would never leave someone in the... er... tender mercies, of Sebastian.

Not that they knew that.

"First," began Beo, pausing to yawn and show off his fangs (AN: Don't shoot! I will explain later!), "I'd like to know who you work for. Hurry up now. I'm not exactly what you would call a patient being."

"Ah, our employer's name is Azzurro Vanel. He has a hideout up in the city. It's in the East End. We just work for him!" cried one of the men, terrified that they would fall off the cliff. His friend just trembled beside him, clutching the steering wheel with white fingers, terrified from the feel of the Black magic the two raven haired beings were radiating.

"But of course, we understand. We are very sorry to have interrupted your work, gentlemen," the emerald eyed boy smirked and jumped off the hood of the car as his companion continued speaking. "I'll let you go now. Have a safe trip."

The two Phantomhive servants started strolling down the road as an explosion rocked behind them. Neither of the two seemed to notice, and Sebastian pulled out a golden stopwatch. "Oh dear. Look at how late it's gotten. If we don't move quickly, we shall never have dinner ready in time."

"Hmph, I'll be waiting for you at the mansion," yawned Beo as he stretched out his arms and cricked his neck, his black hair swaying from side to side.

"You believe that you best me in a race?" smirked the demon arrogantly. In reply, the bodyguard simply shrugged and vanished without a trace. Sebastian blinked twice before sneering and taking off for the Vanel Mansion, in a (futile) attempt to arrive before Beo.

Meanwhile, two men were lying on their backs in a canyon and panting heavily, surrounded by wreckage and dying flames. "Dear God, Gaunt, that was close!" choked out the brown haired assassin, and his grey eyed friend nodded.

"Yeah, I barely got a shield up in time. We're just lucky those two let us go, Riddle. Let's leave Vanel to his fate and go back to Little Hangleton."

"Agreed. We won't have a boss after this, anyway." The two stood up and dusted off their plain clothes before staggering off through the canyon in search of a way up.

"My, my, looks like I'll be seeing dear Tommy-boy in this world, after all..." Green eyes glinted as they vanished into the shadows, unseen by all.

Vanel watched the young, blue-eyed boy pressed against the corner in disgust as he shouted into his walkie-talkie, alerting everyone in the facility. "Listen up, the Phantomhive boy has help on the way!"

Neither Ciel nor Vanel noticed the muffled "thumps" behind a painting near the entrance of the room.

Back in the front of the Italian's manor, chaos was everywhere. Men with rifles and guns of all sorts were everywhere, keeping an eye out for anyone suspicious or strange. "Move it! Tighten security at the gate! Not so much as a single rat gets through!" called the Head Guard.

In all the confusion, who could really blame them for missing a man in a black butler's outfit as he strolled up the white marble steps and retrieved his golden pocket watch, checked it, and put it back in his pocket. "My, my, what a splendid home. Where is Sir Wulf, I wonder?" Sebastian paused before searching for the other's scent, finding it in a secret room nearby his master's. "Oh, I see... you win this round after all."

"Hey, who is this guy?!" cried one of the armed men, his brown eyes wide with shock and swinging his gun around.

"Ah, my apologies. You see... I represent the Phantomhive household."

* * *

"This pie... is so good..." moaned Bard.

Mey-Rin and Finny nodded frantically as they continued to shovel the pastry into their mouths.

"Ho-ho-ho... Pie is good."

Everyone paused.

"Tanaka...?"

* * *

Vanel gulped as he shifted his grip on the brat and adjusted the aim of the silver gun in his hand. If worst came to worst, he'd still be able to kill the Queen's Guard dog. He would have that much.

As he was thinking this, a tall man with disorganized (*cough*lecherous*cough*) raven hair strolled into the doorway, his eyes closed with his signature smile in place. "I have come to retrieve my master."

"Is this a joke?" laughed Vanel, feeling his knees go weak. "I was expecting giants and instead I got-a some scrawny dandy in a tailcoat. What happened to your partner, anyway? Did he get filled with bullet holes?"

Ciel stiffened against the Italian, his eyes widening briefly before he drooped back down. Sebastian, however, merely scowled. "I am afraid not. I am not sure whether he has been extraordinarily helpful, or completely useless."

"Eh?"ground out the Italian, completely confused.

"Either way," continued Sebastian, ignoring the rather inarticulate drug lord, "it would have turned out the same. I am simply one hell of a butler... I promise."

Vanel just rolled his eyes, no longer frightened of the butler. Surely someone so skinny and... gangly... couldn't be a threat! "Yeah, sure. It does not matter anyway, I have no intention of fighting you." Vanel grinned rather nastily and muttered under his breath, "Not yet..." He felt the young boy jerk against him slightly, but the Italian would never know it was because Ciel was trying very hard not to scoff and laugh.

"But you better have what I asked for!" spat out Vanel, his English leaving much to be desired. The cigar in his mouth was smoking slightly, and his dirty ash blonde hair a mess from Vanel's nervous tick of running his hands through it.

"Yes I do," smile Sebastian pleasantly, pulling an envelope out of his black cotton pocket. "It's right here."

Vanel grinned and paused, clearly waiting for something. However, nothing happened.

"I'm sorry, but it seems that your two men are a bit...tied up, at the moment," came a new voice from behind a wall painting on the left threshold of the entry way. Ciel smirked, his cerulean eyes lighting up with cruel joy and a smirk crawling onto his face. Azurro gasped and gulped, his fingers twitching against the gun and a bead of sweat slowly dripping down his tanned skin from the Italian's hairline. He knew that voice. The brother of Earl Phantomhive had arrived.

"It was a good idea, I'll admit. Only an utter fool would go up against the Phantomhive, lord of the games, without a trump card hidden." As the voice echoed through the room, the pastel painting swung outward.

Vanel saw the boot first, made out of some kind of black scales. Next came the leg, clad only in dark charcoal trousers, and then the teenager lurched into view. His shirt was the same midnight black as his boots, and looked to be made from the finest silk Vanel had ever seen. He wore some sort of red robes, fastened together with black straps of the same scaly material as the boots and covered in carriers for ammunition and weapons of all kinds. There was a sword on his hip, and the Italian was fairly certain there was a machine gun on the boy's back. (AN: Yes, this is my version of Harry's Auror outfit. If I have time, I might draw it and add it to the cover).

"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Sir Beo Wulf, Head Knight and Representative to the Ministry of Magic for Her Majesty the Queen, and elder brother of Ciel Phantomhive. I do believe you have someone of mine."

"Ministry of what?" Vanel laughed, trying to ignore the building feeling of panic. Not only was this brother of the Earl the Leader of the Queen's Knights, but also the same type of freak as his parents.

"Master, how unfortunate, they don't seem to have taken very good care of you. You look like a helpless little child all bound up like that. But then I guess that's appropriate," Sebastian smirked wickedly. Beo just sighed and rolled his eyes exasperatedly, ignoring what sounded suspiciously like, "Absolutely no decorum," from Sebastian.

"I-lf you come any closer, I will shoot him!" stuttered out Vanel, his eyes wild and voice raising higher with each word. Both Sebastian and Beo remained completely unaffected, simply regarding the Italian cool with raised eyebrows.

"Little brother, do I need to remove his hands for you?" smiled Beo pleasantly.

Ciel had felt nothing but an overwhelming sense of disgust wash over him ever since Azzuro had grabbed him and put him in a choke hold with the silver barrel of the gun pressed against his head. Beo's words dispersed the haze of panic in his mind better than anything else that had happened thus far, and he managed to drawl out in a tone that matched the disgust he was feeling, "Please do. However, can we move this along? His breath smells awful."

"But if we come any closer, he might kill you," chimed in Sebastian, his typical smirk in place.

"Well then, are you saying you want to break the contract?" Ciel felt a little bit of relief at the thought - he had come to care for Sebastian, slightly, since that fateful day Sebastian had "rescued" the young Earl from his torturers, but the thought of someone stealing his soul still frightened the young boy.

"No, of course not. Nothing has changed; I remain your faithful servant, lord."

Vanel felt his eye twitch as the three began conversing without him. He was a valid threat, dammit! "What the hell kind of-a nonsense are you two talking about?!"

"The very kind of nonsense you're parents practiced on a daily basis, Azzuro Vanel - or should I say, Ashwind Malfoy?" Everyone froze at Beo's words, and Vanel felt his hand start to tremble. How had he known that? How could anyone know that? He hadn't seen his blasted blood family since he was 11 and a letter from Hogwarts hadn't come!

"Magic and monsters, oh me, oh my. The horror you must feel at the thought of anything so... unnatural." Vanel gulped as the black haired teen continued talking, feeling the familiar cold feeling of dread creeping down his back and to his trembling hands.

"Now then, I do believe this has gone on long enough." The silver gun made a dull thunk as it slipped from "Azzuro's" fingers and fell to the ground. The Italian released the young Earl, whom immediately stood and strolled nonchalantly over to his butler, who began fussing with Ciel's messed up outfit while keeping an eye on Beo.

"Wh-What is happening?" the Italian cried out in horror as he stared at his hands. The tanned skin was paling and peeling off as his hands decayed before his eyes and his bones turned to dust and streamed down to the floor.

"Death has judged you, and you have been found... inconvenient. Unnecessary, unwanted, and unclean. Your very existence is not only useless, but a hindrance to this universe. However, Death is merciful. You shall live, a wanted drug lord with only one arm. You will have to depend on your men for every little thing, and should they betray you, you will be helpless.

But you will live. That is Death's mercy." Vanel screamed out in horror as his left arm disintegrated.

"I suggest you lie low... forever," smiled Sebastian, and the Italian fell to his knees, trembling and crying as he nodded.

"Farewell, Azzurro Vanel. We shall meet again, when the time for your end has come." With that, the Master of Death picked up his little brother despite the Earl's sleepy protests and walked out of the room, sharing a glance with Sebastian as he exited the room. The demon smirked as he strolled after the teen, theming one parting smirk over his shoulder at the Italian before he began walking down the polished hallways. The butler's black shoes clacked against the floor as they caught up with the scaled boots, not pausing at any of the unconscious bodies they passed.

"Please note that I am not happy with you taking my prey from me, although it was rather amusing to watch all of Vanel's guards spontaneously faint. I do believe one fell in a bowl of spaghetti," grumbled Sebastian as the three exited the building, Ciel asleep in his brother's arms.

"It wasn't their time," stated Beo politely and with a touch of wistfulness as the two began the long run back to the Phantomhive manor.

"...What you did to Vanel. That was not mercy.""Wasn't it?" With that, the teen sped off, almost too fast for even Sebastian to follow.

The demon cursed and took off after the bodyguard, trying his best to keep the younger one in his sights. "I don't know who or what you are, Beo Wulf, but I swear I will find out."

Sebastian was pretty sure he had heard a chuckle from somewhere up ahead.

* * *

"Wake up, little brother." Ciel's blue eyes blearily blinked open as the words drifted hazily into his consciousness. The young boy greedily drank in the arch of oak trees on either side of the dusty road, and the whitewashed manor ahead. "We're home," he whispered sleepily.

Harry's smile had never been more beautiful.

Ciel only wished that his brother could teach him how to be so happy.

"You are awake, master?" Ciel turned to look at his butler and nodded, still worn out from his ordeal with Vanel.

"Master! Welcome home, sir!" Finny shouted out as he rushed up the cobblestone path from the manor down to the dirt of the road.

Mey-Rin's eyes widened as she saw the young Earl's pained and sleepy eyes. "Oh, dear!"

"Master Ciel, someone hurt you!" cried the young blonde gardener as he gazed worriedly at the navy haired boy.

"I'm fine, not injured at all," argued Ciel. All three servants looked at him sorrowfully for a moment before Bard stepped forward, rubbing the back of s neck in a usual frustrated or nervous tick.

"Someone doesn't have to physically harm you to hurt you, young master," stated the cook plainly, seeming oddly serious.

Ciel simply stared at the three with wide eyes, confused as to what they were saying. How could someone hurt you without physically hurting you? Moreover, why are they so concerned?

"Come one young master, You should have hot chocolate before bed!" squealed the maid cheerfully, mostly returning to her normal self.

"Yeah, some food too! You must be starving!" cheered the blonde teen.

"...Very well," murmured Ciel as Beo let the young Earl down and brushed the wrinkles and dust away.

Suddenly, Sebastian dropped down on one knee and placed a fist over his heart, head bowed. "Master... I'm so terribly sorry. I've committed a blunder unacceptable for a Phantomhive butler. How could I ever atone...? I hang my head in shame." Everyone blinked. What on earth could be so serious.

"Dinner is not ready."

Everyone sweat dropped. Beo's hand reached out and cuffed Sebastian in the back of his head before withdrawing, his hand a blur as it shot out and returned. "Tch, idiot."

End of Chapter

* * *

**AN: **

Sebastian: Hello, dear readers. On the next chapter, due to the suggestion of Lady Elizabeth, Master Ciel's betrothed, we will be holding a ball.

...Unfortunately... my young master cannot dance to save his life.

His attempts are so pathetic that calling in a dancing master would be too embarrassing. And somehow, Beo vanished as soon as the word "dancing" was mentioned.

Huh… It seems as if I shall have to rid my lord of his two left feet myself.

Next time on Beowulf: "His Butler, Omnipotent. His Hero, Master of Avoidance."

You see, I am simply one hell of a butler.

Beo: We get it, we get it. Switch it to Japanese and then translate it back and it can say either "one hell of a butler" or "a demon and a butler." We get it. Move on withi life you OCD, narcissistic -

Sebastian: Dancing.

Beo: *crickets crickets - he vanished into thin air*

Sebastian: *smirks*

Ciel: *sigh* DragonSiren7 does NOT own Kuroshitsuji or Harry Potter. If she did, she would have a lot more cash.

DragonSiren7: And be out of high school. Oh, also, if any of you are reading my "The End Game" fanfic, that is to be updated next! Updates are going to be slow for a while because for me, THIS WAS THE SECOND WEEK OF SCHOOL!

To those of you who also finished you're second week of school, congratulations, this was my present to you.

To those of you who were already in school before this month, I wish to express my deepest condolences and sympathies for the past and upcoming late nights and busy days.

Keep on being awesome, my readers.

Will you review if I don't ask for reviews? Eh. It will probably be a while before I update, but I definitely won't update before... 30 reviews! I know I just doubled the amount of necessary reviews, but you guys are reviewing like crazy already! I don't think I need to worry too much! ^_^

Ciao for now,

DragonSiren7


End file.
